Health issues - Itoigawa juniper

[enriquealvarez]

Hi,

I am looking for advice.

Most of my collection of bonsais (around 40) are doing fine, but I have this Itoigawa juniper that has been having issues for the last 2 years.
I initially thought it was the quality of the tap water, so the now I only use RO water + injected fertilizer
The three gets watered mostly at 10 AM and at 3 PM.

I tested for spider mites and could see some colors in the white paper but not much, and I am unsure if spider mites are attacking the tree because it's weak or they are primary issue.
It could be phomosis but it's attacking random tips.

Am I missing something here?

Thank you in advance

 

[Yamabudoudanshi]

I have no advice, but I'm having a similar issue with one (and only one) on my itoigawas. I ruled out any pests including mites, so I'm inclined to think it might be a root issue.

Hopefully somebody with more experience has some real advice.

 

[Joelshack2362]

Not exactly sure but possibly over watering. What is your location?

 

[bwaynef]

This isn't damage consistent with spider mites. Could be a root issue. The growth seems pretty weak in general. How much sun does the tree get and what is the soil? When was it last repotted?

 

[enriquealvarez]

Not exactly sure but possibly over watering. What is your location?

beautiful flat and windy North Dakota

 

[enriquealvarez]

This isn't damage consistent with spider mites. Could be a root issue. The growth seems pretty weak in general. How much sun does the tree get and what is the soil? When was it last repotted?

Thanks for the reply.

Currently it gets morning sun and it sits under a pergola for the sunniest hours of the day.

Bonsai soil (pumice and akadama)

Repotted 2 years ago, we checked last Spring and the root system still seemed ok to not repot.

 

[bwaynef]

Give it more sun. That'll correct a lot of issues. I think I'd try that before spraying fungicide. You may have to transition it a bit into full sun though.

 

[leatherback]

What does the whole tree look like?
Just showing a singular tuft makes it hard to assess the overall image of the tree.

I am wondering whether this could be mining moths, but I have not heard of them tacking ittoigawa

 

[enriquealvarez]

What does the whole tree look like?
Just showing a singular tuft makes it hard to assess the overall image of the tree.

I am wondering whether this could be mining moths, but I have not heard of them tacking ittoigawa

This is the overall image of the tree. Thank you

 

[Paradox]

The top of that soil looks pretty green which is probably algae which indicates wet soil.
Also a lot of those roots are exposed and could be dead. The pot is too shallow imo.

Could be a root issue.

The shoots also look like tip blight to me.
Can't tell if it's just on that one branch or all over the tree. The close up of the one branch is also showing a nearby branch with healthy green tips. If it's isolated to one branch, it might not be all that big of a problem at this point.

 

[shohin_branches]

I had a shimpaku with crappy roots that I wasn't able to repot this spring and it started looking like yours. I slip potted it into a growbag in July and it is doing a lot better now.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Agree the tree looks sort of weak. Don’t see much in the photo to shout home about though, just weak. Weak junipers shed the weakest growth. Seen way worse. Seen way better.

The green look on the moss likely would be lack of sun. Imho tree wasn’t set properly last time. The weakness likely partly due to lack of sun.

But something else is slowing this guy down. We have a Shimpaku given to us (ugh) that was super weak last year. After a month out of the cold frame this year the foliage grew to look like this.

Consequently wondering about some things.
- When was the last full repot?
- What media was the tree potted in?
- Is the tree draining well? Drain holes clear?
- What is in the injectable fertilizer (please list NPK and Micronutrients better still, please include an image of the label).
- Where is the tree stored during winter?

Something one might do to help is get the tree wired at the end of September and ensure all the branch tips are wired upward and ensure branch each gets access to sunlight to boost growth. No big bends, just rearranging branches and foliage, cleaning out dead foliage and branches..

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[TiMe25]

I am not an exper for juniper, but I keep on my substrate on a dry side.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

My itoigawa looked the same when the soil was holding waaaay too much moisture. I flushed my soil from the bottom upwards to get the gunk out and it fixed the issue quite fast.

 

[enriquealvarez]

Agree the tree looks sort of weak. Don’t see much in the photo to shout home about though, just weak. Weak junipers shed the weakest growth. Seen way worse. Seen way better.

The green look on the moss likely would be lack of sun. Imho tree wasn’t set properly last time. The weakness likely partly due to lack of sun.

But something else is slowing this guy down. We have a Shimpaku given to us (ugh) that was super weak last year. After a month out of the cold frame this year the foliage grew to look like this.

Consequently wondering about some things.
- When was the last full repot?
- What media was the tree potted in?
- Is the tree draining well? Drain holes clear?
- What is in the injectable fertilizer (please list NPK and Micronutrients better still, please include an image of the label).
- Where is the tree stored during winter?

Something one might do to help is get the tree wired at the end of September and ensure all the branch tips are wired upward and ensure branch each gets access to sunlight to boost growth. No big bends, just rearranging branches and foliage, cleaning out dead foliage and branches..

Cheers
DSD sends

Thanks

1) 2 years ago
2) pumice + akadama
3) yes
4) last year Dynagrow 7-9-5 at a 1:100 injecting ratio | this year Miracle grow 24-8-16 at a 1:100 ratio . In other words everytime I water my trees get a little bit of fertilizer , right now, 0.24-0.08-0.16
5) cold frame temperature control at 36F

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Thanks. At this point think we’ve covered the bases then. Summarizing and expanding a bit…

Move tree in full sun, a bit more each day until it’s in full sun over 1-2 weeks.

Just in case there is the start of Phomopsis blight on the juniper, please cut off and landfill the affected areas. Keep doing this from now on. Chock up one side of the pot to keep the media drier. Then limit the amount of water to a minimum for this tree. Understand the challenges the wind brings.

Wire to expose all foliage to the sun, with growing tips upward. Styling issue - cut back exterior growth so foliage is pushed back to the branches close to the trunk. Once there, prune growing tips to concentrate growth in place. There is plenty of interior growth to push back to. Let crotch growth grow out to develop new interior branching/growth.

Repot to ensure the roots are all under the media and do not get exposed. This will give a good look at the roots at the bottom of the pot. You did not say the percentage of akadama in the media, hoping this is a drier combination.

Finally, as RO removes all minerals in the water, suspect it would be wise to think about adding a product with low NPK but more micronutrients to the fertilizer regimen.

Cheers
DSD sends